Top Photojournalists Recognized at Largest Competition in Canada

VANCOUVER, Feb. 9, 2020 /CNW/ - Great photos tell stories. They transcend language and cultural barriers and speak to basic human nature.  A great photo is a snapshot of time that can reveal the world's most profound tales of heartbreak, joy and reality with one single image.

Today, the News Photographers Association of Canada (NPAC) is pleased to recognize the excellence represented in submissions by 135 of Canada's outstanding photojournalists in announcing the finalists in the thirteenth annual National Pictures of the Year (NPOY) awards competition.

Over 2,000 photographs along with 22 multimedia productions from across Canada were entered in this year's competition, representing a spectacular body of work.

The nominated photographs can be viewed online at www.npac.ca and as a featured exhibition during the Capture Photography Festival held at the Pendulum Gallery in Vancouver, British Columbia from March 23 – April 24, 2020. Opening reception on Thursday, April 19, 2020.

These images will also be exhibited as part of the Scotiabank CONTACT Photography Festival in the lobby of Brookfield Place Bay Adelaide Center in Toronto, Ontario from May 11 – May 30, 2020. Opening reception, Thursday, May 14, 2020.

The winners of each category including 2019 Photojournalist of the Year, 2019 Photograph of the Year and 2019 Student Photographer of the Year will be announced during the 2019 National Pictures of the Year Gala event to be held April 25, 2020, in Montreal, Quebec.

"The News Photographers Association of Canada is so proud to have such a vast number of talented photographers who go beyond to ensure that people can have the  experience to see the world in a whole new way.  Huge congratulations to all the nominees." said Crystal Schick, NPAC President.

The News Photographers Association of Canada's 2019 National Pictures of the Year Finalists are (in alphabetical order):

PHOTOJOURNALIST OF THE YEAR - Sponsored by The Canadian Press

Darren Calabrese/Independent
Leah Hennel/Freelance
Ben Nelms/CBC

SPOT NEWS - Sponsored by The Camera Store

Cole Burston/Getty Images – Destroyed Police Cruiser
Ivanoh Demers/Freelance – Flood
Ben Nelms/CBC – Police Take Down Suspect

GENERAL NEWS - Sponsored by Cision

Eric Demers/Polaris – Greta Thunberg
Jimmy Jeong/Independent – Father Visits Son's Memorial
Larry Wong/Postmedia – Wildfire Destruction

FEATURE - Sponsored by Winnipeg Free Press

Darryl Dyck/Independent – Pool Silhouette
Leah Hennel/Freelance -- Young Hutterite Girls
Justin Tang/Freelance – National Military Cemetery

PORTRAIT – Sponsored by Beau Photo

Marie-France Coallier/Le Devoir – Bleu Jeans Bleu
Kevin Light/Freelance – Christian Kluxen
Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail – Margaret Atwood

PERSONALITY – Sponsored by Panasonic

Cole Burston/Freelance  - Rapper Slim Deniro
Darren Calabrese/Independent – Ballet Dancer
Maggie MacPherson/CBC – Red Robinson

SPORTS ACTION - Sponsored by Nikon Canada

Mark Blinch/Freelance – Raptor's Buzzer Beater
Darryl Dyck/Independent – Soccer Header
Carlos Osorio/CBC – Pan Am Games Freestyle Wrestling

PHOTO WITH TEXT – Sponsored by FujiFilm

Even Buhler/Independent – The Rocky Mountain Outlook
Jenna Hauck/The Chilliwack Progress – Making Medieval Armour
Jesse Winter/Torstar – Tent City

SPORTS FEATURE - Sponsored by Sony Canada

Mark Blinch/Freelance – Maple Leafs Shadow Fans
Cole Burston/Getty Images – Blue Jay's Team Photo
Leah Hennel/Freelance – Gatorade Dump
Leah Hennel/Freelance – Sledge Hockey Practice

SINGLE MULTIMEDIA - Sponsored by Vistek

Mikaela MacKenzie, Winnipeg Free Press – Homegrown Hate
Mikaela MacKenzie, Winnipeg Free Press - Sugar Beet Farming in North Dakota
Matt Smith/Saskatoon Star Phoenix - 'It's a Good Disease': Marymount Man's Love for Music Yields Far-Reaching Record Collection
Melissa Tait, The Globe and Mail - A Year After 'Sound On,' Baby Francesca's Singing is Music to Her Mother's Ears

TEAM MULTIMEDIA - Sponsored by Thomson Reuters

Black hole discovery: How Scientists Imaged an Event Horizon – The Globe and Mail Reporter - Ivan Semeniuk
Location videographer and sound - Patrick Dell
Studio videographer - Deborah Baic
Editor - Patrick Dell

Bronco Unbroken: From Tragedy to Tenacity, The Straz Strong Journey – Calgary Herald / Postmedia
Videographers: Leah Hennel and Kerianne Sproule
Editor:  Leah Hennel

The Husband and Wife with Thousands of Tumors
Videographer: Ryan Jackson / Independent / Full Circle Visuals
Production Assistant: Bryn Lipinski / Independent / Full Circle Visuals
Producer:  Danny Baggott / Barcroft TV
Producer:  Ruby Coote / Barcroft TV
Editor: Beth Angus / Barcroft TV

The Tailor Project
Tyler Anderson / Director of Photography
Johan Hallberg Campbell / Videographer
Alex Cassels / Videographer
Anne-Marie Jackson / Editor

PICTURE STORY - FEATURE - Sponsored by Canon Canada

Darren Calabrese/Independent – Mothering Without Limits
Chris Donovan/Freelance -- The Sacrafice Zone
Kevin Light/Freelance – Long Distance Swimmer

PICTURE STORY - NEWS - Sponsored by Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT)

Darren Calabrese/Independent – Troubled Waters
Melissa Renwick/Freelance -- Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program
Chris Donovan/Freelance – Small Town vs. Nestle

SOCIAL ISSUES - Sponsored by MBS TechServices

Darren Calabrese/Independent – Mushuau Inno Community
Chris Donovan/Freelance - Living Near an Oil Refinery
Ian Willms/Freelance – Cholangiocarcinoma

STUDENT PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR - Sponsored by Loyalist College
Submission deadline: April 1, 2020

About NPAC:

NPAC celebrates and champions quality and ethical photography in journalism. Through a variety of efforts, the association challenges its members to better themselves and to continually raise the bar of industry standards.

This national organization includes over 300 professional visual journalists, freelancers, photo editors and photojournalism students from across Canada.

SOURCE News Photographers Association of Canada

Laura Ballance, 604-637-6646 (direct), 604-771-5176 (cell), [email protected]